PHOTOS: China Tianjin blasts death toll rises to 85

Armed police were carrying out the evacuation after highly poisonous sodium cyanide was found at the site, the Beijing News said, as the blaze intensified dramatically, with several blasts reportedly heard.

 
"Out of consideration for toxic substances spreading, the masses nearby have been asked to evacuate," Xinhua said.

 
Officials said earlier that specialists from sodium cyanide producers were being sent in to the hazardous goods storage facility where giant explosions days earlier sent a huge fireball soaring into the sky and left a vast radius of destruction.

 
Authorities have struggled to control the resulting days-long blaze and identify the substances present at the scene, sparking fears among locals.

 

 

 

 

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Photos and copy: AFP